The development emerges, and fits into, earlier news that the spurned bidders for the ballclub have been invited to a mediation session Tuesday with the club and its angry creditors.

The sources said the CRO, William Snyder, has already informed Major League Baseball President and COO Bob DuPuy and said league approval will not be a criteria for deciding the best bid.

DuPuy confirmed there may be an auction coming for the Rangers, but said if it transpires, MLB would retain its traditional role of being able to approve a bidder.

“No one has suggested that any auction occur that in any way obviates MLB's clear and unambiguous right to approve or disapprove any ownership candidate,” he wrote in an e-mail. “There has been absolutely no discussion of that with either of the judges involved or the CRO.”

The CRO, or chief restructuring officer, last week was appointed by the federal bankruptcy court overseeing the team’s bankruptcy, and this week informed DuPuy of his decision that a new auction of the team was necessary. Sources said that when the CRO, William Snyder, met in person with DuPuy on Monday, he communicated that MLB approval would not be a criteria for choosing a winner.

One source said what that means is for the premises of the auction, the CRO will assume all parties that were pre-approved to submit bids last year can be approved by the league.

MLB has indicated that at least one of those parties, Jim Crane, is not approvable. Crane and another spurned bidding group — led by Dennis Gilbert and Jeff Beck — will join the winner, Chuck Greenberg, at a mediation hearing Tuesday in Texas with the creditors, team and MLB.

DuPuy also sought to deflect persistent talk that Greenberg’s financing is not in order. “There are no questions about Greenberg's financing,” he wrote.

The Rangers’ holding company defaulted on its debt on March 31, 2009, and shortly after put the team up for sale. Greenberg and Ryan were preliminarily chosen on Dec. 15, but the creditors and the team hesitated later that month. MLB took over the process on Jan. 16 and chose Greenberg and Ryan the next day. The creditors refused to release their lien on the team, and the club filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on May 24, looking to remove the lenders’ rights.

It is uncertain if MLB would approve a buyer other than Greenberg and Ryan. Were the league to hold such a position, that could come into conflict with the bankruptcy court if it chooses a different bidder.

Neither Greenberg nor Snyder replied for comment.

Federal judge Michael Lynn is scheduled to approve or turn down the team’s amended bankruptcy plan next Friday.

If Lynn approves the plan, the creditors would likely appeal the decision to a federal appeals court in New Orleans. To do so, they would need an immediate stay and likely have to post a $525 million bond, the amount of principal owed. But the lenders might not need to if the judge and the chief restructuring officer decide there are better offers for the team.

At that point all eyes will turn to MLB. After a hearing in the case last week, MLB’s chief outside counsel Stephen Shimshak said on an open telephone line, as reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and confirmed by multiple sources to SportsBusiness Journal, that if the judge turns down the plan, MLB would respond by taking over the franchise. Shimshak did not reply to a request for comment.